Bach Mai Hospital to offer breakthrough device for people with a heart condition

The MitraClip device is a catheter-based treatment which allows doctors to treat MR inside a beating heart, thereby avoiding open heart surgery, which is important for people who are not good candidates for surgery due to issues such as poor general health and frailty.

"MitraClip is a revolutionary treatment for mitral regurgitation," said Nguyen Quoc Anh, general director of Bach Mai Hospital. "With the MitraClip device we can now offer people who are suffering from the debilitating symptoms of severe mitral regurgitation a new treatment option which has been show to improve quality of life and can help many go from bed rest to a more active lifestyle shortly following treatment."

"The introduction of the MitraClip device in Vietnam is an important advancement for people with mitral regurgitation, giving them an opportunity for a better life without the suffering which can be associated with severe mitral regurgitation," said Amit Mohan, country manager, Vascular, Abbott Vietnam.

MR is a debilitating, progressive and life-threatening disease in which a leaky mitral valve causes a backward flow of blood in the heart. The condition can raise the risk of irregular heartbeats, stroke, and heart failure, which can be deadly.

Mitral regurgitation is common, affecting more than one in ten people over the age of 75. Medications for the condition are limited to symptom management and do not stop the progression of the disease.

Open heart mitral valve surgery is the standard of care but many people are not suitable candidates for surgery and, thus, left with no treatment options.

Abbott's MitraClip repairs the mitral valve without the need for open heart surgery. The device is threaded through a catheter to the heart through a blood vessel in the leg, and once implanted, allows the heart to pump blood more efficiently, thereby relieving symptoms and improving patient quality of life.

Patients undergoing MitraClip treatment typically experience short recovery times and short hospital stays of three days.

Founded in 1911, Bach Mai Hospital has now grown into a leading comprehensive general hospital with spacious facilities, synchronised modern equipment and qualified personnel.